ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE
Pewee Valley Presbyterian Church
February 18, 2015
Call to Worship Reverend Joel Weible
Prelude
First Reading Joel 2:1-2, 12-17a
Hymn 85 “What Wondrous Love is This” Wondrous Love
Second Reading Psalm 51:1-4, 10-12
Unison Prayer
Merciful God, we come to you today realizing that we are not who you want us to be. Help us to let go of our past, that we may turn toward you and live again the life of faith. Help us call out our fear and hatred, our anger and self-pity. Lift the burden these negative emotions place on our shoulders. Help us set aside our guilt and enter a season of healing. As we pray and fast tonight, help us to become simple people, that we may see you plainly. As we wear the mark of ashes, rekindle the sign of hope within our eyes. Let us draw near to you now. Amen.
A Discussion of “Sin”
What is our “problem”?
Third Reading 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:2
Hymn, No. 370 Just As I Am WOODWORTH
The Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
The Ashes of Forgiveness
Pastor: As the bread and cup are symbols, symbols of the unity intended for the body of Christ (the church) and of the communal cup we are meant to share, the ashes, too, are a symbol – of purification. As a fire burns, it can separate what is valuable from what is valueless, just as an assayer’s fire can separate a base metal from one that is precious. In this same way, these ashes are pure. They are a symbol of the new space that is now present within us for new life. Let us claim the new life Jesus offers us by praying to our God:
All: God of love and mercy, we come to you in prayer, seeking to change our hearts and minds. We confess the baggage of idolatry, bitterness, and self-concern that we drag along with us, struggling under its weight all the while we attempt to follow Christ. Cleanse us from our attachment to these old things. Burn away their power in us and purify our hearts. In place of old ways fill us with the new fire of your Holy Spirit. Open up new opportunities for us to follow Jesus in loving you and our neighbors. In Jesus name we ask these things. Amen.
Pastor: Friends, receive the good news of our faith, for in the name of Jesus, I announce our sins are forgiven. The old has died. Behold, the new is coming!
Communion by Intinction
Communion Music
The Sign of the Cross (if desired)
Fourth Reading Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Dismissal Prayer
Postlude